Governor Cox Signs Senate Bill 201 as Utah Takes Major Step Toward No-Kill Future

Salt Lake City, UT (March 25, 2026) — Governor Cox has signed Senate Bill 201. The new law will increase the number of dogs and cats saved in Utah shelters and establish consistent protocols for shelters and rescues across the state. Now, animal shelters will be required to pursue all reasonable alternatives before euthanizing a dog or cat.

Best Friends Animal Society, a leading national animal welfare organization whose goal is to end the killing of dogs and cats in America's shelters and make the country no-kill*, celebrates the historic milestone as another significant step toward becoming the largest no-kill state.

“Governor Spencer Cox’s decision to sign S.B. 201 into law is a monumental moment for Utah’s pets that will propel the state toward becoming no-kill,” said Julie Castle, CEO, Best Friends Animal Society. “Nationally, more than two out of three shelters are already no-kill, putting a future with no homeless pets within reach. Governor Cox’s continued leadership on this issue will also set a precedent for other states to pursue legislation that will save more pets’ lives.”

Governor Cox’s signature on S.B. 201 comes just as new data from Best Friends shows that 57 of Utah’s 59 animal shelters are currently no-kill. The numbers show that in 2025, Utah saved 89.6% of the pets in its shelters. Despite saving nearly 95% of the dogs in Utah animal shelters last year, approximately 1,200 cats were still unnecessarily killed in the state’s shelters.

No-kill means saving every healthy or treatable dog or cat in a shelter and not killing pets due to a lack of space. Best Friends recognizes that shelters sometimes face situations involving dogs or cats with severe medical or behavioral issues that need to be humanely euthanized; therefore, the benchmark for no-kill is a save rate of 90% or greater.  

“Best Friends data also shows that if just one in every 1,000 Utahns looking to welcome a new pet into their homes chose to adopt over purchase their next pet, we would end the unnecessary killing of dogs and cats in Utah shelters. “After more than 40 years, it’s incredible to see Best Friends’ home state on the brink becoming the first no-kill state in the West,” said Castle.

To learn more about the data and how S.B. 201 will play a vital role in helping make the state no-kill, visit bestfriends.org.

*No-kill is defined by a 90% save rate for animals entering a shelter and is a meaningful and common-sense benchmark for measuring lifesaving progress. Typically, the number of pets who are suffering from irreparable medical or behavioral issues that compromise their quality of life and prevent them from being rehomed is not more than 10% of all dogs and cats entering shelters. For any community to be no-kill, all stakeholders in that community must work together to achieve and sustain that common goal while prioritizing community safety and good quality of life for pets as guiding no-kill principles. This means cooperation among animal shelters, animal rescue groups, government agencies, community members and other stakeholders, all committed to best practices and protocols.